Sunday, March 26, 2017

Pre-purchased conservative TV ads showed up celebrating the repeal of Obamacare. Only problem, the Republicans failed to make that happen.

Some basketball viewers on Friday night were subjected to television commercials that were guilty of peddling some alternative facts.

That's because in some markets with conservative-leaning districts, commercials aired praising some Republican House members for their efforts in repealing the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.

The problem of course is that repeal effort, which many thought would be a slam dunk, was abandoned because the House Republicans didn't have enough support from within their own ranks.

In the generic ads, the American Action Network, a conservative-leaning advocacy group, urged viewers to call their member of Congress to thank them for keeping their "promise and replacing the Affordable Care Act with a better health care you deserve."

The premature ad buy was supposed to coincide with the long-awaited victory lap Washington Republicans campaigned on – that once they controlled both houses of Congress and the White House, Obamacare would be tossed out.

However as we know that vote never took place because Paul Ryan could not get the Freedom Caucus to play ball and so they ended up pulling the bill.

I know that it is considered bad form to flaunt a victory in your opponent's face, but I have to say that this victory is especially delicious.

And the fact that the conservatives were cocky enough to have these ads waiting in the wings just makes it more so.

As does this:

Democrats are smiling in D.C. that the Freedom Caucus, with the help of Club For Growth and Heritage, have saved Planned Parenthood & Ocare!

48 comments:

Hillary Clinton’s tweetstorm in celebration of saving Obamacare is a beauty to behold as she highlights how Obamacare has saved the lives of millions of Americans, and she acknowledges the work on Obamacare is NOT DONE yet. This is telling me that Democrats aren’t just going to rest on Obamacare as it is, but will fight to fix it and to improve it.

In the wake of the Republican failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act on Friday, leading figures in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party are rallying behind a single-payer health insurance and a raft of other bold reforms.

These lawmakers and grassroots leaders have long believed that the problems plaguing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, are rooted in the original health care law’s attempt to accommodate, rather than gradually replace, the private, for-profit health insurance system.

Now that efforts to eliminate the law wholesale are effectively dead, they are again arguing that the best way to improve the country’s health care system is to confront the power of corporate health care provider more directly.

“We have got to have the guts to take on the insurance companies and the drug companies and move forward toward a ‘Medicare for all,’ single-payer program,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” on Friday night. “And I’ll be introducing legislation shortly to do that.”

...Wisconsin Republicans are calling for a Constitutional Convention. This is the Koch brothers on acid. Essentially, every fever dream Ayn Randian-type Republicans want to enact could come true if, indeed, a Constitutional Convention is called within the next two years.

The United States just needs five more states to agree to this disgustingly egregious “convention”. Anything you think you know about civil rights and liberties will go right out the window, and Republicans will have our nation’s governing document to back them. This “balanced budget” bullshit just means that those douchebags will cut everything that doesn’t help either themselves or the rich. And, when I say “everything”, I mean EVERYTHING!

Imagine Voldemort and Steve Bannon wanting to tear down the “administrative state”, but needing no bother of Congress to enact it long-term. They wouldn’t even need Executive Orders; they could just do whatever they want when they want, no prob, Bob. It’s, quite literally, progressives’ Nightmare Scenario Come True.

OK, here's the problem with that: 34 states have to call for a convention. Since the Constitution doesn't say how that happens,it can be argued that 34 states within the same year... And, some progressives also want that convention - 2nd amendment could go bye bye.

On MSNBC Sunday morning a conservative radio host took multiple shots at President Donald Trump’s faltering relationship with his own party, saying the first two months of his administration have been a disaster.

Appearing on AM Joy, commentator Charlie Sykes was asked by fill-in host Jonathan Capehart how things are going for Trump within his own party.

“Does it make much sense for the president to wage this all-out war, all-out battle on fellow Republicans, moderates and conservatives,” Capehart asked. “What have you, what’s he’s got, what is this, day 65? He’s got three and a half more years?”

“Yeah, so far the only president who had a worse 100 first days would be William Henry Harrison who didn’t last past 30 days,” Sykes quipped to laughter from the panel.

“This is what is so dangerous for the Republican governing majority at this point,” Sykes continued. “You had this disaster on Friday. The president made it really clear he didn’t care that much, he wasn’t engaged, he wasn’t passionate, he never bothered to learn the details of the [health care] bill.”

Sykes then turned to Trump’s promotion of Fox News host Jeanine Pirro’s Saturday evening show where she called upon House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) to resign, with radio host calling it, “outsourcing.”

“Now by outsourcing the attacks and allowing the long knives to come out, I think he puts his entire agenda at risk unless somehow in some alternative universe Chuck Schumer is going to come forward and say, ‘Let’s work together, let’s pass this huge infrastructure bill,’ which will, of course, further tear apart the Republican majority, will further tear apart conservative support.”

“So I’m not sure that you’re seeing as much of a strategy as you’re seeing the president’s lack of impulse control. The normal instinct to lash out at people who didn’t bow the knee,” Sykes lamented.

"Bannon apparently did not count on the fact that House Republicans knew they actually did have a choice in the matter.

“You know, the last time someone ordered me to something, I was 18 years old,” one of the members reportedly told Bannon. “And it was my daddy. And I didn’t listen to him, either.”"

"Earlier in the day, The Daily Beast reported that anyone who didn’t follow Bannon’s orders would be put on a “shit list.”

“[Bannon] has told the president to keep a shit list on this,” one official reportedly told the publication. “He wants a running tally of [the Republicans] who want to sink this … Not sure if I’d call it an ‘enemies list,’ per se, but I wouldn’t want to be on it.”"

What great negotiating skills and leadership qualities this administration demonstrates.

"At some point during the five-hour dinner, Bannon recalls blurting out to Sessions, “We have to run you for president.” Just two years earlier, in 2011, he made a similar pitch to Sarah Palin, after completing a documentary about her called “The Undefeated.” Palin demurred. She was enjoying her life of celebrity and wealth, she had done little to immerse herself in policy minutiae and she was no doubt unsettled by Bannon’s warning that she stood little chance of defeating Obama."

...as much as we should celebrate the defeat of the AHCA/Trumpcare bill, winning that victory also opens up the next phase in the battle to save the ACA: Deliberate sabotage by Donald Trump and his HHS Secretary Tom Price.

You have marco rubio to thank for the problems with ACA, the Fed agree to tens of billions of dollars towards preexisting conditions, risk pools, rubio introduced a bill that took away that money, once that happen Insurance Companies had no choice to drop out, that's why Premiums are higher.

"The Department of Health and Human Services inspector general has launched an investigation into the Trump administration’s decision to pull ads encouraging people to sign up for the Affordable Care Act during the enrollment period. By shutting down such outreach, the action could be seen as a stealth way to starve the health plan without legislative authority, critics say.

President Donald Trump’s administration said the ads were a waste of money, but Democrats have characterized the action as sabotage.

In response to a request to investigate the actions from Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the inspector general said his office is conducting a “fact-finding” review, the Hill reported."

OT?". All are variants of one big über-lie: That only conservatives act properly as judges.""just calling “balls and strikes,” as Roberts put it.""This tells us, in short, that the conservative craving for a closed, unquestionable system of legal thought is nothing to new to our post-Brown vs. Board of Education period. "

Well, Gryphen, I wish I has seen your blog post earlier because when I first saw the ad on TV I immediately called Congressman Validalo and thanked him profusely for giving us this AWESOME new health care plan that replaced the disastrous health care plan including death panels from self-confessed black man Barack HUSSEIN Obama.

I got so carried away with gratitude that I stupidly offered to wash the congressman's car every Saturday morning and clean out his garage every month for the next year!! And I live more than 2000 miles from D.C.!!!!!

But now... I read your blog post... I'm kinda thinkin'.... hey.... wait just a cotton pickin' minute here! I'm driving FOUR THOUSAND miles a week, getting wet and dirty washing his stupid car AND HE DIDNT EVEN DO WHAT THE AD SAYS HE DID DO!!!! WTF!!!

So, anyway, I'm pretty honked off about this and I'll probably call and tell him the car washing deal is OFF until he can PROVE to me that he and the other Republican chuckleheads in Congress can pass RyanDrumpfCare and provide EVERYONE with higher-priced shittier health insurance and very generous tax cuts for the very wealthy. I mean, that's what they promised to do and that's why Drumpf got THREE million fewer votes than Hillary.

"Congress started its 115th session this week. Much of the country was focused on the “big” issues: the battle between our president-elect and the intelligence agencies, the promises to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or the ongoing acts of violence in our streets and now also airports. Few of us were paying attention to the rule changing (or should I say partisan game playing) that was going on, except perhaps for the ordeal over the independent Office of Congressional Ethics.

One of those rule changes will now make it easier to transfer ownership of public lands from the federal government to states. I admit to not understanding all of the subtleties of this change, but I certainly have a problem with the idea that Congress can now give away property that we (the people) own, for free — as if these lands have no value."

"Which brings us to the not-so-good news. When Donald Trump takes office, it means two things for public lands protection. First, we no longer will have a champion for public lands in the White House. If anything, we can expect the opposite. Second, the Republican leadership in Congress will mount the most aggressive attack on public lands protections in our nation’s history. It’s a given that they will try to undo as much of the Obama legacy as they can, but that’s only where their intentions begin. Ultimately, they want to end public lands protection completely, and they’ve already made their first move.

This week, Republicans in the House of Representatives passed a “rules package” that declares that any legislation that disposes of publicly owned land, oil, gas, or other mineral resources will be considered “budget neutral.” The purpose is to let Congress sell (or even give away) public lands and energy resources — with no financial accountability to the American public, which actually owns those lands. Basically, congressional Republicans are paving the way to liquidate our public lands, and hoping no one will notice. After all, no future president, however enlightened, can protect public lands that no longer exist."

"Pirro used her opening statement to downplay Trump’s role in the fiasco, placing blame for the bill’s demise squarely on the speaker.

“Paul Ryan needs to step down,” she said. “The reason? He failed to deliver the votes on his health care bill ... The one that he had seven years to work on ... The one that had to be pulled to prevent the embarrassment of not having enough votes to pass.”

She added: “I want to be clear. This is not on President Trump. No one expected a business man to completely understand the nuances, the complicated ins and outs of Washington and its legislative process.”

Pirro said Ryan was culpable for not securing enough votes to pass the bill, despite all of his “swagger and experience” in Congress.

Calling the bill a “total and complete failure,” the host lambasted Ryan for taking on health care reform so early in the president’s term, noting that the Ryan should have known better, especially since Trump is “a complete outsider.”"

And of course Trump keeps his hands clean by praising Ryan, and having one of his stooges stab Ryan in the back.

The person who is the president of the United States should be smart enough to understand that health care is a very complicated issue, whether he's a former "businessman" or a longtime politician. Frankly, Trump spent the campaign claiming to be "so smart," smarter than all the politicians who ever lived, because he inherited a lot of money and a business with his family name on it. He's never really been a "businessman"; he's been a rich real estate man, not necessarily someone most of us would trust implicitly. He hasn't a clue about governing a major world power and his ignorance and ineptitude have been on show every day since January 20. He's already a failure, leading the country down a very scary rabbit hole.Beaglemom

"Notwithstanding the support of the influential groups for the proposal and ― according to a May 2016 Gallup poll ― even a majority of the American people, Medicare-for-all legislation is a non-starter in the current Congress. Single-payer health insurance still lacks support from many, if not most, Democrats, let alone from the Republican lawmakers who control both chambers.

But the proactive strategy speaks to increasing confidence among progressives that if they stick to their ideals and build a grassroots movement around them, they will ultimately move the political spectrum in their direction.

“It does take time for social change,” said Chuck Idelson, communications director of the National Nurses United, a 150,000-person labor union that has long advocated for a single-payer health insurance system.

NNU is partnering with Justice Democrats and Brand New Congress on an online petition campaign demanding that Democrats back Medicare for all. The union is also advocating for a state level single-payer plan that is making its way through the California legislature.

“We didn’t end slavery overnight,” Idelson said. “It took from Seneca Falls in 1848 ’til 1920 until women won the right to vote. But they only won it by building a movement.”"

The only kind of "single payer" medical system that Republicans would ever accept is a system in which the "single payer" is the sick person. The rest of us are smart enough to know that a genuine "single payer" system where the government is the payer.

Considering what he is probably going to want to do, he is insane to think Democrats are going to want to help him.

He wants to dismantle and destroy this nation.

I am PISSED about the public lands they are going to give away. We'll never get them back. They'll be destroyed for private profit. They were made federal public lands in the very first place to prevent that from happening.

I am ready to call my local ACLU and ask if there is a way that I, as a citizen, can sue my own congress for selling my birthright as an American and a taxpayer.

About Me

This blog is dedicated to finding the truth, exposing the lies, and holding our politicians and leaders accountable when they fall far short of the promises that they have made to both my fellow Alaskans and the American people.